The Devil Went Down to Croix
by Rhuen
Summary: *Sequal to (Rhulan vs The Devil), the darkness has rescued the red devil from the clutches of Overlord Endara and planted him on the distant continent of Croix on Aesperia. The adventuring teams of Ethan the Necrokinetic swordsman and his rival Zanaz are called in to investigate sightings of a strange new demon raising an army of goblins.


Not much has changed in these last three years, well except now when Ethan wakes up he can expect not two but four women fighting over him and invading the kitchen. Thankfully he no longer lives in that same small house he did before but now in a fairly large property by the side of a lake with his own fields. He still can't believe it as he looks out the window, just three years ago he was starting out as an adventurer, in such a short time his party has over thrown a corrupt Baron, fend off a secret society, fought along side legendary beings, and become famous adventurers with more high class jobs available to them then they know what to do with.

He puts on his gear as he goes down stairs, there met by a virtual harem, Janet is ready in her red witch outfit, Rebecca in her blue witch outfit, they haven't changed styles since their adventures began, back then it would just be the three of them, but now Dreia the green skinned Dryad Elf girl is waiting and so is Haru the Wolf-Girl, her ears perked up to match her cute face as she waits at the bottom of the stairs like a puppy waiting for her master.

"Shameless," says Dreia as she sips her morning green tea.

Haru sticks out her tongue.

"We ready?" asks Ethan.

"Not until you eat something," scolds Janet, "I didn't slave over a hot stove this morning for you to skip breakfast."

He looks at the table, instant pastries, a new food for adventurers that cooks its self.

"Of course," says Ethan as he sits at the table, Haru grabbing up a seat next to him, her tail wagging. Dreia glances over as she sips her tea again.

After breakfast the group is heading down the road, Haru waving by enthusiastically to the servants working the fields that morning. A little ways down the road they meet Zanaz and Andria, truthfully they too have a large property not far from Ethan's home, both houses awarded to them by the Empire, and they suspect put close together so they can easily meet up for jobs, which both teams are often sent together on thanks to reputation preceding them in the senate and elite families as a duo team. As they meet up Andria hugs onto Zanaz's arm and eyes Ethan.

Ethan *sighs* all these years and she is still like that. He remembers a few years ago Andria actually saying to him, "You have this whole harem of girls, you are not adding my pretty boy to it."

"All these years," thinks Ethan, "and she still buys into that stupid rumor."

"Lets be off," says Zanaz in his usual steady voice, "the Magistrate should not be left waiting."

-A week earlier-

Deep beneath the earth in a massive dark forgotten cavern adorned with giant statues of tentacle faced horrors a rift appears in space, a red glow emanating from the crack in the darkness. The large figure of a devil emerges, his red skin glistening in the red light, his massive black horns racking the darkness.

"Sweet darkness," says the devil as torches illuminate the area when he speaks despite his words praising darkness.

He takes a deep *sniff* and lets an orgasmic *sigh*

"Mmmm, such delicious evil fills this place."

The sound of scurrying draws his attention as swarms of red skinned goblins come out of the darkness around him. He smiles, the glint of evil in his eyes.

-Now-

"That is how it has been," says the chubby mayor of this small town in the outskirts of Tracia Kingdom where the magistrate sent them, the ones who hired them for this job, Ethan and Zanaz alone in the office with him, "for the last week every night goblins have been attacking the farmlands, small houses, they are even wearing armor and using swords and arrows. We've never seen anything like it."

That scene plays in their heads as they head for the dark tunnel, behind them a trail of dead or nearly so goblins and scattered weapons, some burnt, some slashed, some entangled in vines or else smashed through trees and stone; all a clear sign of an intense battle that the goblins were ill prepared for from their harassment of villagers. As they travel further down they find the darkness quickly gives way to magically lit torches.

Goblins swarm up the stairs. Zanaz and Ethan nod to the group. Andria pulls from her bag a vile and tosses it at the foot by the snarling weapon brandishing goblins. A purple mist explodes from it.

"Psionic Pulse!" yells out Rebecca the blue witch, sending forth the attack from the blue orb of her cane. The pulse knocks back the goblins and blows the miasma bomb's gas over them. In mere moments the attacking group is dead.

*hmph!* goes Andria, "why'd Tracia go all out to hire such a large group of adventurers for such low level monsters?"

Zanaz and Ethan look at each other remembering what else the mayor had said, "one adventurer who chased after them said they reported back to seeing a giant red goblin with massive bull horns. It might be a demon, but we don't want to panic anyone, so in the off chance he was mistaken this will be an extermination job, you know take out the rogue goblin troop and chase off any others from trying the same, if he wasn't mistaken then having a large group with such a…impressive background will surely be enough to take care of some goblin king."

"What?!" shouts Haru her voice echoing down the halls, Dreia quickly putting her hand over Haru's mouth.

Ethan looks back to see Rebecca's staff was touching his shoulder, and is glowing, everyone saw and heard his memory.

"We're going to have a talk about this later," says Dreia, "but for now I do believe everything knows we're here."

"Swowwy" says Haru through Dreia's hand before *licking* her palm and sending a shiver down Dreia's spine.

"You taste sweet," says Haru with a wide grin, "Ethan not been visiting you?"

"I didn't want to worry any of you," says Ethan, "it's probably not anything."

"Worry now," says Zanaz as a fire bursts up from the floor of the wide room they just walked into. Standing where the fire burst is the devil.

"Or," says Ethan, "that guy was right and there is a demon and if we survive this I am buying you all lunch to apologize."

"I'll take a bath with…" says Haru before Janet chimes in, "This isn't the time Haru,"

"So," says the devil looking at them with a smug expression on his face, "it is not the empress who comes to greet me this time. Yessss, like last time some would be heroes, however last time she arrived much quicker. So will you die before she arrives to save you?"

"What is he talking about?" asks Haru.

Zanaz calmly says, "an ancient demon, no doubt he means *The Empress*."

"Huh," says Ethan with a smile, "so you figure this is one of those, some hero trapped the monster along time ago, but somehow or thanks to someone the seal has been loosened or lost and it's free." The image in Ethan's head being of a cartoon man ripping a seal off a rock for toilet paper while out on an adventure and a black horned thing appearing from under the rock.

"Close," says the devil, "but come on, show me what you can do."

"Spread out!" commands Ethan, Zanaz nods to Andria who rushes to one side Dreia goes the same way to support her, Janet and Rebecca another, Haru however rushes at the devil.

"Iron Claw!" yells out Haru leaping at the devil. He backhands her, she *yipes* as she flies through the air. She flips and lands on her feet skidding back, stopping just before the wall.

"Iron Vines!" yells out Dreia,

"Shadow Entangle!" yells out Andria.

Vines of metal and vines of shadow spring forth from the ground and wrap around the devil.

"Psy-Ball!" yells out Rebecca shooting a blue sphere from her staff at the devil, closely followed by a "Fire Rocket!" from Janet. Both explode on the devil.

"Did we get him?" asks Janet.

The smoke clears and the devil is unharmed, with a burst of flame and a flexing of muscle he destroys the magic vines around him.

He lets out a disturbingly orgasmic *sigh* and *roars* a thunder echoing off the ceiling somehow.

"Pitiful," says the devil, "yet impressive, unfortunately for you I am the eternal prince of darkness! *thunder*. You mere mortals can not hope defeat me, no matter how great your powers are."

Ethan and Zanaz exchange (the look), its trump card time!

Ethans chants over his sword, the blade glowing green. Zanaz leaps high into the air and does a spin with a sweeping leg yelling out, "Necro Arc!"

The green arc of energy comes down at the devil who doesn't even try to block it, much to his dismay as he winces and takes a step back as the arc cuts into his flesh leaving a bleeding mark over his side.

"Necro Slash!" yells out Ethan who comes down, slashing across the devil's chest making it unleash a *thunderous roar*. Ethan leaps back.

The devil is pissed, the bleeding lines however are only skin deep.

"Good show," says the devil standing up right as though unharmed, "but your best is not enough."

"Keep him busy," says Ethan as he holds his blade sideways, it glowing with green mist as he chants. Zanaz leaps back into the shadows next to Andria.

Haru summons a blue sigil before her, "Summon Light Doves!"

A small group of Light Doves appears and flocks at the devil glowing.

"Raaaaahhhh!" roars the devil, "Accursed holy light!"

His body flames up as he swings at the doves, kills several, the rest vanishing thanks to the summon spell.

"Razor Wind of the Sacred Grove!" yells out Dreia summoning a blizzard of green razor's edge sharp leaves to swarm over the devil.

Andria throws a Miasma Bomb at the devil clouding his vision but not harming him.

Janet stands back realizing her fire magic makes her useless in this battle, however she

does chant a "Magic Attack Increase" spell on Ethan and Rebecca.

"Psychic Mist!" yells out Rebecca summoning a blue fog around the devil.

"Enough!" roars the devil echoing thunder as fire shoots up consuming the leaves. He takes a deep sucking breath sucking in the miasma and Psychic mist.

He *sighs* "poison of the body and mind, such a sweet taste."

"Eat this!" yells Ethan, "Necro Sphere!"

The mist had gathered before his blade into the shape of a sphere, and with a mighty push against it, it flies off like a rocket.

The devil takes a swing at the green ball, the skin on his knuckles and fingers peels off

leaving his hand bloody; however he did manage to punch through it.

"All that distraction," says the devil, "for that?"

"No," says Andria pulling the shadows away from hiding Zanaz, "for this!"

Zanaz had been charging up a massive focus of necro-energy in his palms.

"Necro Beam!" yells Zanaz unleashing the attack.

The massive beam of green energy comes over the devil, his body inside the beam starts to wither into a skeleton, he yells out as loud as he can through decaying lungs, "Father! Save me!"

A red energy comes over the devil, his body quickly regenerates and with a mighty roar and explosion of red energy, during which he sprouts massive red and black wings that throws everyone back with the shockwave he disperses the attack. He stands now unharmed, his opponents on their backs.

"Damn," says Ethan, "we have to retreat we…"

Haru remembers the Light Doves and how it felt like the light was genuinely hurting this monster, however before she can speak a massive red sigil with a demonic goat skull symbol in the center appears behind them blocking the exit.

"We're trapped," says Rebecca.

"Then why is the bull goblin man scared?" asks Haru pointing at the devil.

"Because of me," comes a woman's voice inside the sigil.

Floating from the sigil is a woman with blue skin, black short hair, weirdly aerodynamic horns on her temples above her pointed ears. This woman wearing a weird black battle uniform floats forward with her hands crossed.

"No!" roars the devil charging at her, taking wing and summoning a sword."

The woman in the blink of an eye grabs the sword between two fingers, snaps it in half, and punches the devil in the top of his head slamming him chin first into the stone floor cracking it…and his teeth.

She puts her foot on his head. He struggles to rise, flapping his wings and pushing against the ground with his arms with all his might. But to the surprise of the party she doesn't even seem phased by it. She grabs the wings holding them still, this brings a look

of utter fear in the devil's eyes.

"Wings," says the woman, "cute, guess this means we can play some new games."

"bitch…" mutters the devil.

The woman turns to the party, "so what have we here,"

Before anyone can speak the woman turns her gaze towards a blue archaic glowing sigil that has appeared on the floor nearby, rising like a ghost from the abyss is Rhulan, in her usual sorceress attire."

Rhulan looks over the scene.

"That," says Zanaz rising to one knee as the rest of the party gets up, "*cough*, must be the empress the demon was talking about."

"Or she is," says Haru pointing at the blue woman.

"Endara," says Rhulan, "what brings you to Aesperia?..."

Rhulan looks at the devil, "oh….that looks…familiar…oh."

Janet whispers, "I think Rhulan the sorceress knows something."

"shhh," says Haru, "I don't want to miss anything."

"So," says Rhulan crossing her arms beneath her ample breasts, "What brings the Overlord of the False World here with…one of her toys. Did your pet get off its leash?"

"Hardly a pet," says Endara, "more a stuffed toy, Misaline made him into one for me after you left him for dead in my backyard."

Rhulan *shrugs*, "First place I could think of to get him off my doorstep."

"Oh, it's no problem," says Endara, "he's one of my favorite playthings, and when I track down the smoky bastard who took him away…like three years ago…making me have to revisit, and probably repay…I mean the warrantee has to be expired by now, Misaline, I am so going to find that smoky bastard, rip off his balls and shove them into his eye sockets!"

She said all that with a smile on her face. The look of shock on the party's faces would be priceless especially with Zanaz who always tries to keep a calm demeanor making everyone view him as a total bad-ass.

Endara's sigil vanishes from the doorway, and appears beneath her and the devil.

"Well, I'd love to chat," says Endara, "But I better get this guy to the doll shop and fixed back up before Misaline closes down for the day, tootles."

With that Endara with the devil underfoot sinks down through the sigil. It vanishes right behind them.

Rhulan opens a portal and is about to leave when Ethan says, "Wait up! I mean…your highness, I…"

Rhulan looks over their group, "huh…it's you guys again…how serendipitous."

"Uh…yeah," says Ethan, "so…I mean,"

Haru nudges him.

"Right sorry," says Ethan, "what was that? Who was that…Overlord you said? And who is…Misaline?"

Rhulan *sighs*, "Kid, forget you ever heard the name Misaline, crazy bitch would turn you into a nut cracker or a tiny puffy pink ball if she thought it would be funny…or cute…or what ever goes through her twisted little cute head. As for that woman, she is Overlord Endara Tarrata, the ruler of a Hell known as the False World, looks normal, but really a just a bunch of traps and such. Apparently after I…removed that demon from trying to invade this world and killed it in her hell she took what remained of it…I do believe it could regenerate endlessly, to….that sorceress I mentioned…any who, she turned him into a toy version of himself for Endara to play with…yeah she's crazy too."

Rhulan nods her head to the side slightly, "So am I really, kind of hard to be immortal with out being a little nuts. Any who, guess it got loose, got big again, came here to try and call me out. Heh, and you kids got to him first."

She turns back to her sigil gate and with one last, "till next time adventurers." she vanishes.

"We still get paid right?" asks Haru as the party walks away from the cave.

"I guess," says Janet.

"Well we didn't take down the big boss," says Rebecca.

"Not for lack of trying," jokes Ethan looking over at Zanaz who is just staring behind them at the battle field, likely pondering over what the hell just happened.

"We did," calmly says Dreia, "take out all those goblins,"

"Okay then," says Ethan, "first we collect and then its that lunch I promised you all."

"Isn't it dinner time?" asks Haru.

"Okay, dinner," says Ethan with a smile.

Andria and Zanaz are trailing behind a little bit.

Andria whispers to Zanaz, "is something wrong dear?"

"We," says Zanaz, "are adventurers, mortals just making a living in what little time we have. We shouldn't be getting involved in the affairs of devils and gods."

"We had no way of knowing," whispers Andria as reassuredly as she can, knowing that her man's strongest attack had failed back there.

"Half a day," says Zanaz thinking over how long it took to get to Tracia and then out here and fight, "no…even a few minutes later, those two didn't appear because of us. They came after that devil, if we had arrived later we wouldn't have had to have nearly gotten killed fighting an unkillable monster."

"Well," says Andria holding his arm, while watching to make sure no one is looking back, "they didn't appear until after it bru….used a last ditch effort to survive your attack. Maybe that energy…maybe it knew, that lead them both right to it. So our showing up and forcing it to fight at that level did save the day…by attracting something…some things that could take it down. If not who knows for how much longer it would have terrorized the country side before either of those…people…figured out where it was hiding."

Zanaz mulls this over as Andria lets go of his arm as they catch up with the rest of the group before anyone wanders why they are dragging heels so far behind them.

"I suppose," says Zanaz taking one last look back at the charred area and dead goblins, less than there was before implying some survived and fled when they had the chance.

He remembers the scene, the devil, Endara, Rhulan.

"I suppose," he thinks to himself as they walk along, "but everyone in that room could have killed us all, and that woman easily took down what we barely stood up against…and Rhulan." His mind shows an image of her floating covered in dark red flames…. "she spoke to that…Endara on equal terms…she's more monstrous than I thought…No Zanaz put it out of your head man, adventurer, bandits, goblins, maybe the occasional dragon, none of this higher order crazy celestial and demonic shit, it doesn't concern us we fight we get paid, we live, repeat."

"You know," says Zanaz looking at Andria, the tone in his voice making her blush.

He shakes his head, "Never mind,"

"When we get home," says Andria in a sweet whisper, "we can talk then."

At dinner Haru says between bites of mutton, "I could have taken that big red guy, yep, I was going to use the holy light spell and totally kick its ass."

Ethan, Rebecca, Janet, and Dreia stop eating and look at her.

"Yeah," says Haru as she takes another bite and gulps it down with her drink, "it was totally hurt by those Light Doves, I could smell it, that's why he went all crazy, I bet he was like you know like a shadow demon and holy light would totally kick his big red ass."

The others just look at each other pondering in their own minds if she was right and remembering what happened earlier that day.


End file.
